Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty reached the China Masters semifinals for a fourth consecutive year after the fourth-seeded Indian pair overcame Denmark’s Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen 21-13, 16-21, 21-18 on Friday, September 4. The quarterfinal contest lasted 70 minutes and the win now marked the Indian duo’s first semifinal appearance since their Singapore Open triumph in May.
Since then, the duo suffered from inconsistency and, on top of that, Satwik’s injury concerns made things worse. They were even knocked out of the quarterfinal at last month’s World Championships in New Delhi.
What happened in the match?
Satwik and Chirag made the quicker start and established control early in the opening game. They moved 11-4 ahead at the interval and maintained enough of a cushion to close out the game in around 16 minutes.
Meanwhile, the Danish pair responded strongly in the second game. They refused to allow the Indians to create another sizeable advantage. The score was 11-10 in favour of Satwik and Chirag at the interval, but Astrup and Rasmussen raised their level after the mid-game break.
The contest was tied at 15-15 when the Danes produced three successive points to gain separation. They subsequently earned four game points and needed only one to level the match and force a decider. Astrup and Rasmussen carried that momentum into the third game. They were leading 6-3 at one stage and extended it to 9-6 before holding a 11-9 advantage at the interval.
The Indians faced another challenge after falling 10-14 behind. They twice moved closer, but their opponents managed to preserve their advantage. Satwik and Chirag eventually drew level at 17-17 following a 36-shot exchange, which was the longest rally of the match.
Notably, that equaliser shifted the momentum decisively. The Indians soon created three opportunities to finish the contest and converted their second match point to secure their place in the last four. Now, as things stand, their semifinal opponents will be either Malaysia’s Nur Azriyn and Tan Wee Kiong or Indonesia’s sixth-seeded Sabar Karyaman Gutama and Moh Isfahani.
For Satwik and Chirag, the victory will give them plenty of confidence, especially after a difficult time in the last few months.
Also Read:
India set for historic T20I vs Japan to celebrate 75th anniversary of India-Japan diplomatic tie
